KiwiBuild a ‘massive political distraction’
“The government could lower unit construction costs in many ways, as it is well aware,” former Business Roundtable economist Bryce Wilkinson says in a new research note today. It could ease up on red tape, improve the supply of urban land by removing...No Govt solution to high rents
Women, senior citizens and Māori are amongst the groups more likely to receive accommodation supplement, and the majority of recipients are on some form of benefit. Auckland Action Against Poverty is calling for a freeze on rent increases, and for the Government to...“How To Fix Auckland’s Housing Crisis.”
“Auckland is a basket case when it comes to housing affordability,” says Sayers. “It’s of the highest moral imperative for Council to fix.” Auckland must dump the ideology of a compact city and spread out and up to make housing affordable, while simultaneously...Subfloor insulation in rentals a costly mistake
Insulation features in “healthy homes” regulations that Housing and Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford is expected to impose next month. Under existing law, New Zealand’s 262,000 owners of rental property are required to install both ceiling and underfloor...Construction shortage list, unlikely to alleviate shortage
The Government recently established the new Construction and Infrastructure Skill Shortage List (CISSL) to address the ongoing problem of short supply of construction workers in New Zealand. But the new list scheme is likely to be too rigid to be effective, and will...Housing Ministry head hints he acted against Barclay
Mystery already surrounded Barclay’s nearly three month absence from his position as inaugural head of the government’s flagship KiwiBuild programme, before the one-time head of the San Francisco America’s Cup village tendered his resignation earlier...Labour will lose in 2020 without more progress on housing affordability: Pavletich
The Labour-led government risks electoral defeat in 2020 unless it makes demonstrable progress on affordable housing this year, says the outspoken author of an annual survey of global housing affordability. Hugh Pavletich, the Christchurch-based co-author of the...Housing sector working in silos – Property Council boss
A new study reveals none of the country’s main property markets are considered affordable anymore. The annual Demographia International Housing Affordability report released today shows New Zealand continues to be one of the most unaffordable countries in the...